Many households make use of audio receivers to process audio information from various audio sources, such as televisions, broadcast transmissions, compact disk (CD) and digital versatile disk (DVD) players and the like. Conventional audio receivers, however, are implemented as separate or stand-alone devices that often require numerous wires and cables to provide desired connections between power sources, audio/video components (e.g., televisions or CD players), and one or more speakers. This multitude of cables and wires often results in an aesthetically unappealing jumble of wires around the audio receiver and the components to which it is connected. Moreover, because of their relative lack of integration with other components, it often is difficult to leverage the functionality of the audio receiver with the functionality of other multimedia components to provide an enhanced aural experience.
To illustrate, consumers typically must utilize a personal computer (PC) to receive and display video content streamed or otherwise provided via a computer network. However, PCs are designed to support a wide variety of functions, from Internet browsing and word processing to the processing of detailed scientific data. As such, PCs implement complex hardware architectures and sophisticated operating systems in order to be capable of supporting the widely divergent tasks expected of them. The complexity of PCs results in a user experience that is different from the traditional television experience in that they often require a substantial amount of time to “boot up” before they can be operated by a user, whereas conventional televisions typically are ready to provide video and audio content almost immediately. Moreover, with their multitude of exposed cables and constant fan noise, PCs often present an aesthetically unappealing solution for television viewing. Similarly, the set-top boxes typically required for receiving and processing digital cable transmissions often detract from the visual appeal of the television setting. Moreover, as opposed to PCs, conventional set-top boxes typically are of limited functionality in that they typically interface only with coaxial cable connections and provide functions directed to processing video and audio content of a cable television transmission.